India vs West Indies: Only one net bowler for the visitors at Uppal

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Written by Bharat Sundaresan
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Updated: October 12, 2018 1:14:00 am

West Indies face India in the second Test at Hyderabad. (Source: AP)

THE WEST Indian team were left seething and disenchanted after they weren’t offered the necessary net bowlers in Hyderabad for their practice session on the eve of the Test. While the Indian team had the full assortment of net bowlers—around a dozen or so—the visitors had to make do with a single fast bowler, having to eventually get their security liaison manager to bowl spin at their lead batsmen.

“We don’t have to generally ask for net bowlers. It’s pretty much part of the MoU signed between the two boards before the series. But we got to the ground and found only one guy was around,” said a Cricket West Indies (CWI) team official.

The West Indies did have the whole gamut of them at their disposal a day earlier, where the spin net was especially lush with leg-spinners, off-spinners including one with a R Ashwin action, and even a chinaman bowler. But as they prepared for the second and final Test, they ended up short-changed, at least according to the team management. No Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) official, which is now being run by the local CoA, was available for comment or to sort out the matter for the visiting team. Around 7 net bowlers did appear later on during the afternoon, but the West Indians weren’t chuffed about the scenario.

“By the time the 7 arrived, all our top-order batsmen were done with their sessions, having faced literally one bowler and another make-shift one. We can’t overuse our own bowlers in a practice session before a Test. Eventually only the likes of (Devendra) Bishoo and the lower order got to face the net bowlers,” the official said.